Would you support your child in pursuing a degree in English Literature?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 100%. I wanted to go to college to study literature and to write. It was not allowed. All I ever did was read and write. I read Tolstoy in 8th grade. But to appease my parents, I went into psychology, a mistake as I hated it.

I am good at being an academic; I eventually got a Master's degree in History. I don't know what I would have been if I studied literature, but I know I would be good at being a professor.

Replace literature with acting or singing, and being a professor with being an actor or singer. All three of these careers are extremely selective, and it's therefore presumptive to so you would be a good professor/actor/singer when the overwhelming majority of excellent candidates never become one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a great major. There are few better ways to spend four years for both mind and soul. And anyone who can both think and communicate is employable.

+1000

Some of the most successful adults I know are former English majors

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is a great way to say you know nothing about AI.

Agreed.

x 1000

To be a great AI, you need a great writer.

[Anonymous]

No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study.

Serious question...what do English majors study?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study.

Serious question...what do English majors study?

I have no idea. And I was an English major at Harvard. The field has clearly changed and devolved considerably over the past dozen years or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study.

Serious question...what do English majors study?

It takes one or two minutes to Google. But you have no interest in the actual answer, is my guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study.

Serious question...what do English majors study?

I have no idea. And I was an English major at Harvard. The field has clearly changed and devolved considerably over the past dozen years or so.

When someone says they majored in English...do they really mean they majored in English Literature? At least, what did you study?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study.

Serious question...what do English majors study?

It takes one or two minutes to Google. But you have no interest in the actual answer, is my guess.

Well, you are the one that said that PP had "spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study"...now, we are supposed to Google it.

I figured you could give a better answer than a general Google search.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No trust fund and DC does not want to go into Law, so short answer is “no”.

We would be perfectly happy with a minor in English, our house already is overflowing with books, and DC is a voracious reader.

Spoken like someone who doesn't know what English majors study.

Serious question...what do English majors study?

I have no idea. And I was an English major at Harvard. The field has clearly changed and devolved considerably over the past dozen years or so.

When someone says they majored in English...do they really mean they majored in English Literature? At least, what did you study?

It’s almost all lit. English majors IME are not the best writers. Good, but not great. Philosophy and history majors can write; English majors only think they can write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I’m paying for a music major so I don’t see why not. In fact, I think humanities majors will have much less competition now that all these parents are forbidding their students from it.

I think the question is what kind of job can your kid find with just a humanities undergrad degree.

Most grads don't come from family money. They need to find a job and pay the rent. Look how many millennials are living with their parents after graduation. It's expensive to live on your own and financially take care of yourself.

I get that, but young people aren’t widgets. My kid was born to be a musician and it’s the only thing he’s ever wanted to do. He won’t (and shouldn’t) turn into a computer science major just because I ask him to. If not for music he wouldn’t be going to college at all.

Sure, but will he be able to pay his rent, cell phone bill, buy groceries and get health insurance after college?

[Anonymous]

All the lawyers in our family had literature degrees, some were lit and philosophy double majors.

[Anonymous]

My primary concern with an English degree is less that it's useless and more that it's not difficult enough. Reading classic books in the vernacular is something every educated person should be doing in their spare time anyways. Why not a difficult foreign or ancient language, or theoretical linguistics or something? At least a challenge. English is too easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why or why not?

While a noteworthy pursuit, I would be concerned about career prospects unless he/she wanted to go to law school.

Absolutely. Yes law school. Or do a phD in same field and become a professor. Will need a new generation to teach the English courses.